Voting for the Oscars from a Benedictine Monastery!

The Central California Marian Eucharistic Conference this
January will feature a rare speaker: Mother Dolores Hart, OSB, a former
award-winning actress who performed in two Elvis Presley movies and still votes
for the Academy Awards.

“We feel really blessed that she is coming,” conference
organizer Pat Borba told CNA on Nov. 29. “That in itself is a miracle that we
got her. We thought that since she’s cloistered that that would never happen.”

The conference, the 15th annual event of its kind, will
take place at the Paso Robles Event Center at a Mid-State Fairgrounds
auditorium in Paso Robles, Calif. from Jan. 14-15. Its theme is “Faith That
Moves Mountains!”

Mother Dolores’ scheduled speeches are titled “How a
Career in Hollywood Led Me to Faith” and “The Ear of the Heart: When the Master
Speaks the Disciple will Listen.”

Before Mother Dolores became a nun, she acted for the
stage and screen. She starred in the 1960 teen classic “Where the Boys Are” and
played St. Clare in the 1961 film “Francis of Assisi.” She also played the lead
role in the movie “The Inspector.”

She won a 1959 Theatre World Award and a Tony Award
nomination for her role in the Broadway production of “The Pleasure of His
Company.” She has remained a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences and is presently the only nun to vote for the Oscar awards.

Conference organizer Gertrude McMasters explained that it
is “highly unusual” for the cloistered Benedictine nun to address a conference.

When Mother Dolores received the request, she thought it
would not be possible for her to go. She asked her prioress anyway.

“Her superior just looked at her and said ‘Are you ready
to go?’ She was really surprised too, that she was able to come,” Borba said.
“That’s why we feel there’s really a reason that she’s going to be here.”

The conference focuses on the Eucharist, the Blessed
Virgin Mary and Catholic teaching.

Other conference speakers include Fr. Andrew Apostoli,
CFR, who is known for his retreats, conferences and television appearances;
Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, a school safety expert; Fr. Patrick Martin, a
legally blind priest and author; California vocations director and youth
minister Fr. Joshua West.

Irish vocalist David Parkes will MC the event and
offer a Saturday afternoon concert.

Borba said that the organizers considered ending the
conference until they reflected on how much fruit it has borne.

“We’ve talked to many people who have come. We were approached
by so many people on how it had affected their lives and changed their lives,
that we decided that we really needed to continue. Even the youth approached us
and said ‘please don’t stop it.’”

“We’ve gotten many wonderful letters on conversions and how
people have come back to the sacraments through the speakers that we have.
That’s why we have actually continued,” she explained.

Attendance has varied from 400 to 2,000 people, and
usually averages from 600 to 800.